


Hope in Avenging

by buggirls



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-07
Updated: 2015-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-06 12:13:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3134078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buggirls/pseuds/buggirls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James Belser, a young college student with an unnatural gift and a hope of getting into what is now known as The Avengers Initiative.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally meant to be a reader-insert but it turned out with my OC instead. Oops!
> 
> I do apologize as the first chapter is really just setting plot down, it's kind of boring but it's necessary for the plot to move forward. Please let me know how you like it so far, I would love to hear what you have to say!
> 
> Also; I haven't written the Avengers' characters in quite some time so I'll be a bit rusty, please forgive me when it comes to it.
> 
> Enjoy!

Morning light shone through the dirty window of the mid-level apartment, signalling that the morning was, in fact, here. Much to the dismay of the man who resided in the twin sided bed near said window. This man was one James Belser; student and professional jackass. Okay, he wasn’t that bad but he sure knew how to get under peoples skin. It was both a natural talent and a hobby of his. This wasn’t his only talent.

James was what you might call special. Gifted. A freak. Mutant. There were many words to go with his abilities but to him they were normal. A gift in disguise of a curse as he liked to put it. Many people thought that his particular gift was horrible to have or a menace. Blah blah blah. All the same shit people came up with about how normal people shouldn’t be able to do things like he does, though if he would correct them by saying he couldn’t actually do that much. Those things circulated around James, always seeming to catch up with him no matter how hard he tried to run from them. Of course this was until a few months ago. That was when everything changed.

The dark brown hair of the rather short man dulled in the pale first rays of the morning. He swung his legs over the side, letting the blanket and sheet fall from his frame as he pushed himself up. It wouldn’t be long before he would be leaving, a glance at the clock tells him it’s already 6:30am. Normally the twenty one year old wouldn’t need to be up on a saturday this early as he didn’t have any classes on the weekend but this morning was special. It was the day he finally was going to plead his case to the only and only S.H.I.E.L.D.

It was only a handful of months ago that S.H.I.E.L.D. became known to the public. S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn’t what became most known though, The Avengers Initiative was. The group of heroes had saved not only Manhattan but the whole world from an alien race later known to the public as the Chitauri. That was a life changing moment for the young man even if he lived down in the not-so-sunny state of Florida. James was far from the action but he knew that in that moment his life wouldn’t be the same. So that’s why his plans for today were made.

It took a lot of hours of research and lying to find classified information. Hell he even did some things he wasn’t too proud of and would never admit to if asked. But it was all for the sake of moving his life forward. In his research he had found out quite a few things. Among those things was that S.H.I.E.L.D. had smaller bases all across the globe, not only in New York City. In fact Florida happened to have its own semi-secret base down near the ocean.

Sure, he knew the address but he couldn’t just waltz in there like he owned the place. He needed to come up with a plan and that was the hard part. It took him weeks to figure out what he had to do and more weeks after that just getting in contact with certain people. Lists of people, name after name of people the olive skinned man had to schmooze just to get a hold of someone higher up on the list. Finally he had done it, with much persuasion and difficulty. He had gotten in contact with the very man in charge of the Florida base of operations for S.H.I.E.L.D. It wasn’t the famed Nick Fury but hey, he was getting there. Right now this was all he needed.

James had convinced the older man to give him a special screening for an internship. It wasn’t exactly what the younger had in mind though, he had this all figured out now.

A quite plain white shirt was tugged over his head and smoothed over his chest, a pair of fitting dark jeans quickly followed, being yanked up and buttoned in place. He gave himself thirty minutes to get ready and leave. That consisted of finishing his packing for when his plan worked, and it would, finding something to eat for breakfast, making sure he didn’t suddenly lose all his powers, and finally he had to make sure his apartment was clear. If things did go as planned then he would have to leave this apartment behind so he figured he might as well clear everything away while he could and, of course, packing everything he would need to bring. Was he getting ahead of himself? Maybe. Did that stop him? No.

After glancing around the strangely empty room a final time James turned his attention to the row of dead potted plants, a single flourishing one remained at the end of the row. The bright color almost made him sad to see it die but everything had its time, he knew that, and it just happened to be the flowers time that was drawing to an end.

James had a gift, that much was clear, but his gift was beyond that of what he has seen or read about. There were no stories for what he could do. A slender hand was raised, palm facing the innocent pink tulip. It hardly took any concentration at all before the flower began wilting, the petals falling to the dirt in the pot as it became just like the ones around it.

James Belser, age: twenty one. Student, professional jackass, and energy leech.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As James meets the bases director questions arise, making him wonder if his plan will go as he needs it to.

 

Times up. The blue eyed man blinked had worked so hard to get here and he was  not going to show up late. It was now or never, no hesitations.

 

All his bags were shoved into the trunk of his junky old car, one that called out for attention that James just didn’t have the time for anymore. The old Bel Air was greedy for attention and James was sure to give it to her when he could, even got the girl practically a whole new inside, but lately his time was spent elsewhere. After everything was situated James pulled the seat belt over, locking it in place as he had done so many times before. He was risking everything for this opportunity. His job. His apartment. The few people in the area he could call friends. He had learned to lay low but now was his time to branch out, hoping this would turn out for the better. It had to be worth it. He had to  make it worth it.

 

The drive was uneventful, a thick silence hanging over the driver. Silence was normally something he craved but now as different. Now it only brought with it the anxiety and fear of what he was getting himself into instead of the normal warm embrace it use to offer him. When it became unbearable he finally turned the stupid radio on, some monotone voices flowing out to report the news of the day. It has all been the same since the superheroes came sauntering in, the news all about how the city was being rebuilt and how people were gathering in the streets to mourn their losses and to thank those who had saved them. That was no good, he was diving head first into this and he didn’t need to be reminded of how this could all just be a horrible mistake. He could go in there and get laughed at, his powers could fail him when he needed them most. The channel was changed to one that played soft classical music, something that always had calmed James down, even as a boy. So he let it do what it did, the inviting cords soothing what was left of his nerves.

 

While the drive was hours away it seemed that he had arrived all too quick, driving his car to the front of metal gates. He was greeted with two security guards, one on each side of his car. The windows were already rolled down so it offered no excuse for delaying this interaction any longer.

 

“ID?” It was more of a demand to see one than a question of if I had one.

 

“Actually I have a, uh, meeting with the director.” Even as he spoke he carefully noted everything he could about the men at his car. The dull uniforms and the clipboard in one of their hands, which was being scanned over.

 

“Name and scheduled time of meeting.” Another demand but said in a less threatening tone, almost as if the guard was curious. Did this not happen a lot?

 

“James Belser, 10am.” If the guards here kept questioning you like this they would end up making you late for godsake he just wanted to get moving.

 

“Alright. Stay to the right and you will be picked up at your car for further information.” Finally the guards stepped back, giving a nod as one of them pushed a button to automatically open the gates. James gave a polite smile as he drove in, following the orders he was given which was thankfully something he did well.

 

Strangely enough following the road on the right led him to a row of various cars. As he parked his own he couldn’t help but notice how they all seemed just like… normal cars. Well what he meant was that they didn’t look like something that should be around a place like this, they looked like they were all owned by teenagers and cliche ones at that. His arched eyebrows drawing together in confusion just for a moment before he could regain his composure. Surely he was just overthinking the whole thing, unfortunately for him he did that a lot. Almost all the time.

 

An airy sigh escaped his pale lips as he saw a neatly dressed woman coming his way, his expression changing to a friendly one as he turned the roaring engine off with a flick of his wrist. The keys were pocketed and James stepped out of the car, locking it behind him.

 

“James Belser?” For the wrinkled look about the women her voice was rather smooth.

 

“That’s me, ma’am.” Always be polite. Speaking of- He stuck his hand out to shake which was returned and dropped all in a few seconds.

 

“You’re the last to arrive, please follow me.” Last to arrive? Wait. Who else was going for this ‘internship’ and how’d they even have the contacts to get here? That didn’t matter, right? Right. The woman turned on heel, obviously not going to wait up for James so he didn’t make her. Their paces turned almost identical, James following just behind. The women had honey colored hair pulled in a professional looking twist but before the younger of the two could mentally note anything else about her he was lead to a large room as the door shut behind them.

 

“Everyone, may I have your attention?” The women made a few coughing sounds to grab the attention of anyone who might not have heard her. When she was settled and believed everyone could hear her well she continued.

 

“My name is Idris Smith. This is not my real name but it is what you shall address me by. For today I will be the one to test you all.” The sapphire eyes of the man glanced around at the other people, finding he had been correct in his assumptions of those cars belonging to teenagers as everyone else in the room besides him and Idris seemed to be under the age of nineteen.

 

“You all are here for the spot of an intern here at S.H.I.E.L.D. but let me be the first to say we are only looking for the best of the best. Only one may be chosen at this time so be sure to do your absolute best. The test will consist of three parts. The first being physical where you will perform various tasks as if you were an agent. The next will be combat, a skill all agents must know in case of any emergency to break out. The last test will be to determine your intelligence. All three of these tests must be passed with flying colors to even be considered so if you’d please sit we can begin.” A hand waved them to a long row of metal chairs to which everyone took a seat. Looking around at the people around him it was obvious to tell who was nervous and who wasn’t. Some of the applicants wore cocky smirks, others were picking at their shirts. James? Well he didn’t know what to think. This wasn’t exactly what he had expected but the show had to go on. Thankfully he was a relatively active person, being as fit as he was. Not muscular but just fit.

 

Two voices spoke out, one listing of names and another giving another set of instructions. “You are going to be divided into groups of five and assigned an escort. They will lead you to the training grounds where you will do everything that is asked. Director Smith will be watching everyone so no slacking.”

  
James was placed into a group and lead out, the whole time he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Two eyes were burning through the back of his head, watching his every move like a hawk. Even without having to look he knew who it would be staring at him. Just as he left yet another one of his suspicions were confirmed, Idris Smith was the one staring him down.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James takes another step, proving to one Idris Smith that he is worth talking about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry! The boring parts are almost over!

 

Though the wandering eyes of Ms. Smith led James to wonder what was going on he was ushered out of sight of the woman who supposedly followed behind. He was given no time to worry and to only focus on the task at hand, getting through the physical test.

 

It went as expected. A few run throughs of an actually quite unique obstacle course and some basic ability testing. That was really it and it didn’t take long for everyone to finish. To be honest James was getting intimidated by those who weren’t even panting after so much work, trying to mask his own heavy breathing. Everyone was guided inside though to a different room. This one was very open, various weapon racks dotting his view. Targets of all sizes were placed around the room, there were even trainers you could do hand-to-hand combat with. 

 

When everyone filed into the room a familiar womans voice filled the room, stepping in front of the group to speak. “Look around and you will see everything you will need for your second test. Use the surroundings to your advantage. Line up, single file, and you will go one by one to display what you may call combat skills.” A nervous gulp was heard in the almost silent crowd, James was actually surprised it wasn’t him who was swallowing his fear. Actually James felt confident. This was his time.

 

Everyone shuffled into a line, a handful of people shoving to get in front. For once James didn’t mind the shoving, going with the flow of people as he patiently waited for his turn. No one ahead of him seemed to be special like he was, they all just were vigorously trained. Not that James wasn’t it just seemed that they had more time in with the weapons around them. They ranged from bows to long swords, each of them being used in turn by the various applicants until James turn came.

 

A light breath was drawn in and there it was, just as he expected and wished it to be. That same burning gaze that showed he was being watched carefully. This was his time, he needed to make the most of it.

 

“We don’t have all day Mr. Belser.” The voice snapped him from his thoughts, making him instinctively step forward. Alright maybe he was stalling but he got this.

 

“Sorry, ma’am.”

 

Light footfalls echoed through the room, stepping up to one of the trainers but motioning to the other two trainers to step up as well as he gave them instructions to just start attacking him. To which they happily obliged. The muscular men darted for him as a gasp fell over the crowd at the fact that James hadn’t brought any sort of weapon into that fight with him. The three men were skilled, very skilled, but even so they were no match for what came next.

 

The right palm of his hand was faced towards the men charging him, giving at least some effort to make them freeze. In a mere second James had them all on their knees, another second later and they were unconscious. The feeling made James want to do it again and again, it made him feel so  alive. A feeling like no other but he knew how to at least somewhat control himself. Whispers immediately erupted from the crowd, turning on point to face the rest of the group in the room. Flinches spread across the adolescents but the eldest in the room spoke once more.

 

“So it seems I was right about you, Mr. Belser. Please follow me.” Idris waved to the supervisors, motioning for them to take over and make sure the trainers were alright. James quickly caught up with her, his heart rapidly pounding in his chest. A million words and questions popped up in his head but he remained silent, focusing on where he was being taken. 

 

A small office was where. It wasn’t anything small but it was hardly extravagant. Just a normal office with a desk and everything.

 

“So..” The brunette finally broke the silence but was only answered with a finger being raised, signalling for him to wait. So he did. He watched every movement the woman made, how she carefully flipped through paperwork and  spoke into her headset. James hadn’t really focused on what she was saying until a particular sentence was heard.

 

“Patch me through to Fury.”  Fury . As in  Nick  Fury. As in the very person he needed. His heart, which was rapidly beating before, skipped a beat. Now no words came, just the flitting of paperwork before Idris spoke again.

 

“Fury I have someone here that might be of interest.” A mumble was heard but it wasn’t enough to make out what Fury was saying.

 

“Yes. I would recommend it.- Alright.” With that she clicked a button on her headset, turning her attention to the man standing across from her.

 

“We are taking a trip to see someone and will be leaving as soon as you have your things.” Her voice was demanding but had a hint of confusion laced in each word, as if she wasn’t even sure herself if this was possible.

 

“Lucky for you I already packed,” A confident smirk spreading across his face, pulling out and jingling his keys. This only made Idris frown, obviously unamused as she snatched the keys and marched out the door with James following. The keys were handing to a guard outside her door with the instructions to “Take Mr. Belser’s things to the jet, we will be leaving shortly.”

 

Things were happening so fast now, not even James could keep up even though he was hopped up on the energy of three trainers. It was a strange but familiar feeling, the very life force of the men flowing through James’ veins, prickling all the way to his fingertips with power. He knew from experience how far he went, those men were knocked unconscious and would be like that for the next hour or so, nothing that would seriously hurt them. Just make them feel exhausted for the next handful of days to come.

 

They stepped outside to reveal a large silver jet parked behind the buildings on a runway. How had he not seen this all before? Maybe he was just really focused. Either way, they were helped inside which proved to be more fancy than anything James was use to. Or really, more expensive than anything he had ever seen. 

 

Blue eyes scanned the area carefully before he felt the jet lifting off. It seemed so quick and it was hardly audible at all- It felt overwhelming but this is what he wanted. What he needed to get into S.H.I.E.L.D. 

  
This is where he belonged. Where he needed to be.


	4. Chapter 4

The jet rumbled through the sky. Without him noticing it James had fallen fast asleep on one of the comfortable chairs placed inside. Idris Smith was sorting through a small pile of paperwork she had brought along for the trip, making sure everything was in order for the arrival of one James Belser. Nick fury better be thankful.

The metal plane soared through the clouds, the swaying getting a bit rough but compared to commercial airline planes it was nothing. In fact, James slept through the landing. The trip took half the time it normally would, the jet being specially built and programmed for the many agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Speed was necessary.

The slumbering man ebbed in and out of consciousness, blinking open his tired eyes as Idris inlay stopped shaking his shoulder. 

"I expect you to make yourself presentable. Which means I'd advise you to wipe the drool off your face." Quickly sitting up, James rubbed the dribble off his chin. Gross. He normally didn't drool. That would be a great first impression.

James' words came out soft, right before letting out a small yawn. "Sorry." Glancing out of one of the small windows of the jet he saw exactly where they were. Well, sort of. It looked like some sort of military base. Like the ones where the fighter planes took off of, the big platforms near or out in the water. What were they called? An aircraft carrier? God, he couldn't remember.

"Is this it?" James' voice was wrapped in a vague, soft southern accent. Nothing that might be considered redneck or even to make him seem uneducated but it was enough to give away his home. This didn't seem right. There weren't many indoor places and stepping out of the jet made it seem even more open than before.

"Were you expecting more than this? If so I can gladly take you back-” The woman’s voice was cut off with the southern one, politely but swiftly correcting her.

“Ah, no. I’m good, don’t worry.” This was what he risked everything for so he was going through with it.

As a kid James was an energetic little ball, always driving his single dad insane. The people around him thought he had ADHD so his dad got him diagnosed. The medication they had him on didn’t do anything though, as became obvious now that he was older. The energetic personality passed on to his pre-teen years but that was when he started to become aware. Everyone around him started whispering, spreading stories about him. Some said that there was something off about the kid, others insisting he should be checked out by doctors again and given more medication. It was all in vain though, nothing they did to James helped him.

Those were the years he used his power as much as he wanted, no one understood or could tell what was happening. He was weaker back then so even if he tried his hardest the worst he could do was make someone dizzy. He was no threat to anyone but even so, it resulted in one hyper lifestyle. Once he reached the age of sixteen he heard the rumors, forcing himself to cut back and rethink who he was. Cold turkey. No more taking energy from anyone or anything else. The experience was terrifying, he went through withdrawal. Anxiety, shaking, irritability, fatigue, headaches, and insomnia. The whole nine yards. The symptoms lasted a little over a month but afterwards the boy people use to know was long gone. No more bundle of energy, no bouncing off the wall. Hell, he didn’t even seem like an extrovert anymore. He became low, not wanting to speak or even be seen most of the time. It makes sense, he didn’t take any energy so he didn’t have any. Even as simple as it seems at the time it was a hill he couldn’t get over.

It took three years, when James reached the age of nineteen, when he finally got out of that slump. He gave in and told himself that from then on out he would regularly take the energy from the plants around him, not from people. Not unless he really needed too. He stuck to it for awhile but hey, what could he say? People could piss him off easily sometimes. He limited himself, he really did. He kept his ability a secret, there was no need to mention it. Fear gnawed in the back of his mind, what would happen if people found out what he could really do. It wasn’t telekinesis or anything but it still could do a lot of damage, especially if he practiced. Some days he wouldn’t take any energy, leaving him drained and down. If anyone asked about it he could just come up with some excuse about how he forgot his medication for the day. What medication? No one cared to get involved at that point so he hardly had to make one up.

When the Avengers saved the world a new hope replaced the fear, consuming his very being with ideas and desire. That’s when he came up with his plan which led him to where he was now, standing outside a private jet being approached by more people who could only be assumed as agents. They were taken to the edge of the carrier, to the edge of the platform.

“Uh, I don’t know if this is important or anything but just so you know I’m not the best swimmer.” He highly doubted he would have to tell that information but staring at the endless water in front of him he started to worry but just as he was about to ask what they were waiting for he saw it. The water below churned and started creating large whirlpool, the whole carrier started to rumble. The foamy water seemed to be receding, revealing large boat-like rudders- Wait, no. The carrier was rising above the water.

James stumbled back, almost tripping and falling on his back but managing to catch himself just in time for the amused sounding voice of Idris Smith to reach his ears.

“Welcome to the helicarrier, Mr. Belser. Now if you’d please follow me I have someone I think you should meet.” There was no mistaking the entertained smirk on the woman’s face, probably wanting to laugh at the confusion that was written all over the leech's face. Which James quickly shook, standing straight and clearing his throat as he proceeded to follow the woman once again. This time he remained quiet, examining all he could about the helicarrier. What a strange place.

They entered a stairwell that was hidden from their view earlier, Idris obviously knowing where she was going. A long hall later and they flooded out into what could only be the control room, control consoles lined against the walls and throughout the middle, creating stations for various workers. The room was abuzz with chatter, people giving quick reports as to what was being done. The only ones who seemed to be silent, save for James and Idris, were two tall people standing near a podium styled console. When James saw the pair his stomach dropped, this was it.

The blond led the nervous guest behind her to the silent pair, introducing him without hesitation.

“Sir, this is the man I spoke to you about earlier. His name is James Belser.” A sidestep later and there was nothing blocking James from the view of the famous Nick Fury who gazed down, silently having a staredown before breaking the silence.

“Director Nick Fury. I’m sure you want answers but so do we so I suggest coming with me.” With that you were left with no other choice, Fury turning and leaving to their right. A sharp inhale later and James followed, waiting for his future to start.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the short chapter, I'm working on more!

James wasn’t expecting the next room to look like it did. Here is what he was expecting;

1\. A personal office, most namely Fury’s  
2\. An interrogation room  
3\. A cell of some sort  
4\. A training room where he could show that he wasn’t lying about his abilities  
What he got instead was the fifth option; None of the above. He was taken into what seemed like a conference room with a large black oval table and wheeled chairs all around it. It only took him a second to take a seat after being instructed to.

Fury turned to face James, staring at him with all the intensity of an angered bull. The tone he took didn’t seen angered though, almost like he had the perfect plan for the man who just showed up.

“Seeing as you already agreed to be here, this is how it’s going to go. I’m going to assign an agent to you who will determine exactly what you can do and how you do it. You will be staying on the helicarrier for the next few weeks until that examination is over, what will happen next depends on the observation. Understand?” His words earned a vigorous nod from the younger man who was trying to take the situation in.

Alright. He could do that. Get assigned to some agent, do some tricks to show them what he can do, determine what happens after that. Simple enough, right? Now just to see who he was going to get assigned to.

“Stay here until your assigned agent comes, they’ll show you around.” With that Fury left, leaving James to wonder who would be assigned to him. The names of all the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents he knew running through his head. Maria Hill? No, she was Fury’s right hand. Anyone from the Avengers Initiative? God no. They all had to be long gone from here doing their own thing. They were on a completely different level from James. If he was being completely honest he didn’t know any other agents but of course thats going to change once his guide gets here.

Minutes pass, leaving James to just tap his foot and twiddle with his fingers as he waits. Eventually he resolves to spinning slowly in the swivel chair, shutting his bored eyes and leaving his head back on the chair. A groan crawled up his throat, the remaining swelled up energy just waiting to be released through physical activity. He might as well be strapped down on the chair because it sure felt like it.

What broke him out of his ever growing spinning speed wasn’t the faint sound of the door being shoved open but the voice that followed, rough but cocky sounding.

“Y’know if you keep spinning like that you’ll make yourself sick and I will not be the one to clean that up.”

Upon hearing the unfamiliar voice, the twenty one year old stuck his foot out to the ground, making the chair and his spinning come to a full stop. Seeing as he had stopped facing away from the voice, he stood and turned to properly see who had the oh-so-great-honor of showing James around and determining his skill. Familiar looking features bounced around James’ head; The spiked dirty blond hair, the casual all black outfit with the out-of-place looking arm straps, the blue eyes, the defined muscles that could only be gained through years of work. Honestly though the biggest give away was the bow and quiver strapped to the back of the older male. Everything pieced together rather quickly.

“So- Guess I have to show you around, huh?” His smile was definitely inviting and welcoming. And sweet. And sof-- Hold up. No. James made his thoughts come to a screeching halt, responding before he could think about that anymore, silently scolding himself.

“Yeah, guess so. I’m James Belser but you probably already knew that considering.” Considering the situation that is. James took a step towards his guide, offering his hand out which was taken and shook casually. The difference in their hands was actually pretty large. James had soft and slender hands. The others though? They were rough, obviously had seen a lot of use in some form of combat or exercise. Huh. James stowed that information away as their hands parted and that same familiar voice spoke out once more.

“Nice to meet you, James. I’m Clint Barton.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter, woo! Don't worry, I have a lot planned for the future!

Was it alright to say that meeting the Hawkeye, Clint Barton, and having him be assigned to watch over you officially changed your life? James thought it was perfectly alright, this was just proof that he was doing the right thing after all. The pair walked through the halls of the helicarrier, the shorter wondering why he didn’t feel any movement. It had to be some sort of stabilizers, it only seemed logical for a place this large to have at least semi-decent stabilizers. There was no rocking or swaying, everything was just still. He couldn’t tell if it was eerie or comforting, more time was needed before he could make that conclusion.

They walked past many doors and other walkways, it was starting to seem like an indoor maze around here. They finally stopped inside what looked to be yet another training room, slightly smaller than the one at the Florida base. The walls were a peculiar dark blue, almost navy, with white lines all the way around creating a grid out of the room. What a strange design. There was a long range of weapons directly to the right of the door and red targets all over the room. Some hung from machinery and others coming from walls. As James entered he couldn’t help but let out a mumble that sounded sort of like “getting right into the action, are we?” Could anyone blame him though? He had already burned through a power rush earlier and then thrown right into all of this and now what? More fighting. He wasn’t going to start outright complaining but there was no holding back sas with this one.

Clint took a few steps forward, stopping at what was presumed to be a high-tech control panel, tapping a few of the buttons before turning back to see James. A mechanical whir could be heard all around them as the room started to shift, even under their very feet. The room seemed to grow, the ground underneath them getting the feeling of dirt. The entire room had transformed to look like a misty forest. James seemed amazed at how lifelike it all looked; The trees and the rocks, even the mountain cliff right behind them. Maybe it let them know exactly where the door was. Or maybe they actually transported to a forest? As if seeing the inner workings of James’ mind Clint gave a snicker, speaking up and breaking the boy from his thoughts.

“Welcome to training. I’d suggest picking your weapon of choice now, bad guys and all that are coming but don’t worry, for now they’re only projections.” So they didn’t teleport, that was comforting. And the enemies, whomever those were, were only holograms. James wasn’t too sure about all this, a panic rising as Clint started counting down from ten. A quick glance to his right showed that only two things remained like they were when they first entered the room: The weapons table and the control panel which Clint hovered his finger over, ready to start.

“One. Let the fun begin.” James’ feet stuck to the ground, he wasn’t trained in any of the weapons they had laid out. He had never even touched a bow before. The swords seemed too heavy for him. Short daggers? Seemed like his best option if plan A didn’t work. Of course plan A was- Well James was about to demonstrate. Pure black figures dropped from some of the trees, running immediately for the pair. Without even hesitating or thinking twice Hawkboy over there let loose one of his many arrows which proceeded to go directly through one of the figures chest, leaving it to turn to static and fade away.

James’ turn. He held out his palm in a familiar ritual, concentrating on one of the figures running at him. It didn’t budge. Confusion was written all over his face, an arrow whizzing through the figure about to get the better of him. Wait- He finally understood. Stupid! They were projections, they didn’t have energy to take from! Not the kind of energy he used anyway- This wasn’t fair.

“C’mon no hesitating, newbie.” Hesitating wasn’t what he was doing, panicking was more like it. Seeing the strangled look on the trainees face Clint dropped his bow to his side and reached over, stopping the program. The room turned to static for a moment before returning to normal while Hawkeye took a step towards his ward, furrowing his eyebrows in concern.   
“You okay? I know we kinda jumped in and all but I just thought…” His voice trailed off. Thought what? That James was a professionally trained agent ready for everything right after being lifted off on something he didn’t think possible for at least a handful of years? Give him a break.

“I-” The sapphire eyes of the boy shifted down to his feet, struggling for words.

“Tone it down?”

“Actually, if you’d be up for it, I have an idea.” James cleared his throat, looking up again but this time with a hopeful look about him. “Before we get into the whole ‘holograms that want to eat your face’ thing I thought we could do some hand-to-hand stuff.” He flashed an innocent smile, making the agents heart melt and give in with a roll of his eyes.

“Alright, fine. I wasn’t planning on beating up a trainee but you started it.” Cocky much? Alright, James was up for it. Hand-to-hand was what he was good at. That and the surprise up his sleeve. “I’ll go slow,” Clint added before stepping to the middle of the room. James followed, keeping a few feet apart as the agent set down his bow and quiver. James took the time to get into a good stance.

“Ready?” Clint smirked, waiting for a response.

“Why ask?” James was as ready as he ever would be. With that Clint started, throwing a simple punch which was easily dodged. James got ahead of himself though, sweeping his leg under the agent, which was very easily dodged and put a damper on what James planned on doing next. Things started moving fast, Clint taking it up a step as he advanced, picking up the pace. Before he knew it James had his arm twisted behind his back, holding him in place against the agent’s chest.

“You definitely did better than I expected, and better without the projections.” This was it, this was his moment. Clint had let his guard down ever-so-slightly when speaking which left James open to dart back his free arm, grabbing the blond’s free hand and using what he did best. 

“I’m not done yet, ass.” He quickly felt the grip on his twisted arm loosen enough for him to break free, keeping contact with his other hand as he drained the energy from the man, a boastful smile dancing on his lips but when Clint fell to his knees James let go. Every part of him begged to keep doing, to drain every ounce of energy he could, but he knew better. He only had to make the guy weak so he could officially say he beat him.

“Pretty cool, huh?” James wiggled his eyebrows and stuck out his arm to help the defeated agent up, which was accepted as Clint pulled himself up. “Bet you hadn’t expected that-” Before his next words came out his face fell slightly, “Unless you were told before. But oh well I still beat you, right? Tell me that counts-” He was just rambling on now, a side effect of the energy rush he just gained.

“Jeez, kid.” Hawk’s words and the chuckle that followed them shut James up automatically. “Could have done some serious damage with that, glad you didn’t.”

“‘Course I didn’t, I like you after all.” James couldn’t even stop to think about what he was saying now, they just came rushing out. “Just had to win because I really need this- I need to be here I mean. Back home it was just, well, yikes.” Clint just took the words in, still listening to all his words curiously.

James stopped at that point, letting the words run through his head instead of letting them come from his throat.

“C’mon, kid, I think we both could use a rest,” Followed by another small laugh, one that made all the thoughts in James’ head go blank. Huh. He hadn’t recovered from a power high that quickly in a long time. And as a result of someone laughing? Never.

Clint then led James to where he was going to be staying while he was here, a simple room with no windows or side rooms. James shuffled his feet, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was late, had they really spent that much time here already? His voice was different from when he last spoke, it was much calmer now. “Are their showers?” Which was responded with a nod from Clint.

“‘Course, I’ll show you.” Not too far from where James’ room where the men's showers. They stood out from the other rooms, it was white inside instead of what seemed to be the normal grey and black of this place. This place really was huge.

Clint offered a warm smile, leaning his back on the open door. “I’ll leave you to it and while you get yourself squeaky clean I’ll grab you a change of clothes, alright?” The trainee just nodded and headed towards the towels to grab one. On his way he heard the door shut, signalling that Clint had left James alone with his thoughts.

The showers were empty except for himself, who started one of the many showers and got changed out of his clothes while he waited for it to heat up. When the water was warm James stepped under the water, letting it run over his face as the days events played through his head. He was doing the right thing, he knew it.

The next thing he knew he had a towel wrapped around his waist and one Clint Barton handing over what looked to be an agent uniform in his size. The shorter man had scars littering his torso, including what appeared to be an old gunshot scar on the left side of his chest, Clint couldn’t help but wonder how it even got there. As Clint turned to leave, James stopped him. “Hey, Clint? Could I talk to you?”

“Sure.” He turned back around but stepped towards a wall, pulling himself up on one of the sink counters so he could sit as well as face away from James while he changed.

Speaking of which, with the towel still around his lower half, James pulled the shirt over his head and settled it over his chest. Next came the pants. “Do you know why you were assigned to me in the first place?”

Clint shrugged at first but let out a sigh. “Call it probation. I keep an eye on you and you keep an eye on me, that sort of thing. And before you ask, I got probation because when that Asgardian ass came down to wreck everything he- tried to corrupt my heart.” Oh. “But enough about that, I want to know more about you.”

James tugged his pants up, buttoning them in place. He pondered his words as he made his way to where Clint was sitting, leaning on a wall across from him. “Well, what do you want to know?”

“You said something earlier about your life back home, the Sunshine state right?, well I want to know what happened.” Oh. The thin lips of the shorter man pursed, glancing back down with a sad look but waving his hand to dismiss it as he stood straighter. “Getting right into the gritty stuff. I think I’ll save that for later.” To, y’know, see if he really cares to know. James could make his way back to his room so he started to leave, hearing Clint drop down from the counter and follow behind.

Clint obviously didn’t want to push it so he just followed, making sure that his ward could find his way back. Whatever happened would stay that way. For now at least.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry this one took so long! I hope you enjoy and be sure to let me know what you think!

James Belser is a complicated person. Not in the mysterious sense you see in movies or read about but the kind that changes his mind a lot, people sometimes saying he changes his personality right with those changes of heart. For him it was hard to understand or control that, it was a side effect of his abilities after all. Happy to sad, angry to content, it was like a flip of a switch sometimes though usually it took a bit more. Even trying to describe it to someone proves difficult. He would rather keep it to himself but would explain if asked.

He was a pretty average looking person though. Choppy brown hair that was pretty much in a faux hawk, blue eyes that didn’t sparkle or shine in vivid color, a height of 5’3- Okay he was a bit on the short side but he could get awfully defensive about his height when it came down to it. He had a lean body but no excess muscle or anything. The only thing different about him was the things you couldn’t see right away.

The night was upon him before he knew it but with the night didn’t come sleep. Getting a power high was almost like a sugar-rush in a small child but a lot more dangerous though if not controlled. James had quickly retreated to his room after his shower before he could get interrupted, the whole time focusing on what he would tell Clint about his past and what he would leave out. Once in the safety of his sleeping quarters he took a slow but deep breath through his nose, finding all his bags. Somehow someone had got them there after they first saw the room but before he finished his shower. He was thankful but didn’t unpack anything.

His “bags” consisted of a large green duffle bag, nothing special. Inside were his clothes and certain other small things to get him by. This is where he needed to be, right? In a place where he couldn’t hurt anyone but instead help others. Risking his life would just add to the thrill.

James wasn’t sure if he would be left alone for the rest of the night or not but either way, he couldn’t sleep. His energy levels were still high- To try and diminish his energy enough that he could sleep he decided to exercise as he found that second most effective. The most effective way would be the complicated processes transferring the energy somewhere else but he couldn’t do that. Never once was he successful and the outcome of each trial had been disastrous, each on a different level. The first time was by accident- He happened to be fiddling with a broken watch while on one of his power-highs when it accidentally blew up. How? At the time of the accident he was thinking of what exactly would happen if the energy he had was all moved to the watch, or partially to make it work. Well, he got his answer.

The next few times were a bit worse; one causing a city-wide blackout, another causing a small house to be- well, destroyed. Thankfully no one got hurt either time. The only time that ever happened was the fourth time. It wasn’t his fault his friend had to visit him during a bad time- but it was his fault. He blamed himself for the outcome.

It was a little over a year ago. James had made the bad choice of taking too much energy from too many sources, resulting in an addiction-like craving. After taking the energy from his apartments generators the lights went out and somehow his friend, known to everyone as just “B”, had gotten news of it and came to check on him. What happened next was terrifying- James had foolishly tried to give some of his energy to B but normal human bodies can’t compensate for the extra surge. 

So with a work out on his mind he started, sit ups first. He did only thirty before switching to push ups. At this point he had to push himself, knowing the only way down was to use the energy he had pent up inside of him. That meant quickly switching from one exercise to another, repeating his actions with all his will. After getting roughly an hour in of nonstop extensive workouts, sweat beginning to drip down his nose, James knew it was about enough to sleep. His energy levels were significantly lower, already feeling it.

After changing into something more suitable for sleeping and less sweat-covered, the possible-agent-in-training tucked himself under the covers of the uncomfortably stiff bed and let his mind slip into unconsciousness. Just as expected, he had no dreams. The nights usually were spent in nothingness, or nothing he could remember at least. Sleep was a complicated thing for him, hour after hour of being knocked out with no memory of what happened in between. Complicated and something he didn’t care to dwell on.

There was one thing that James absolutely hated about sleeping and that was when he had to do it alone. James was always a clingy person in one way or another and he would be lying if he said he liked sleeping alone night after night. Sure, the quiet was nice but who says silence between two people has to be uncomfortable? He knew for sure that it wasn’t always that way, that two people could share a space in silence and still be completely comfortable and at peace. That’s what he liked. 

The morning came with a firm knock outside his door, rousing James from his slumber with a small groan. Even though he did let a small groan slip he didn’t hesitate to jump up, quickly slipping pants on as he liked to sleep without them, and head for the door. When it swung open there was an agent on the other side, long brown hair in a bun on the top of her head and communicator on her ear. She spoke up before James was given a chance. “There’s a briefing in the conference room in five.”

James practically sputtered at the statement, “Five minutes?!”

“Yes. Is that a problem?” It seemed that she was looking for anything that could get him out of here, not in a mean or rude way but just like she was testing if he actually was meant to be here or not. Which he was positive this was the best place for him so he simply shook his head and said “No problem at all, I’ll be over in just a minute.” With that he closed the door and rushed to get his clothes on. He just grabbed one of the agent outfits they hung in his closet, practically jumping into it even despite the weird material it was made from. Soon after he got shoes on, he was out the door of his room, desperately hoping he remembered where Clint had said the conference room was. Thankfully he had the right room, practically bursting in with no time to spare but skidding to a stop seeing exactly who was in the multiple chairs. There was Clint and Fury as expected but there were also two other men and a woman. 

Fury motioned to one of the black chairs around the large round table, speaking in a tone that couldn’t quite be placed. 

“Have a seat Belser, we have a lot to talk about.”


End file.
